NEXT RACE - 12th October

Donington boss promises 'world-class' circuit

Saturday 5th July 2008

The British GP will find a world-class home at Donington Park which can match the best new tracks across the globe, according to the owner of the Derbyshire circuit.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone yesterday shocked the racing world by announcing the event would leave Silverstone after 23 years in 2010 and move to the home of British MotoGP.

But Simon Gillett - who along with Lee Gill owns Donington Ventures Leisure, the company behind the deal to bring Formula One to the track - insists the surprise decision will prove to be a wise one.

And when asked whether Donington, which will receive a £100million facelift as part of the agreement with F1, will be an improvement on much-maligned Silverstone, Gillett told the Daily Express: "If you believe that Bahrain or Istanbul are better, then that is the standard we are aiming for.

"We are building a world-class Formula One facility. We are aiming to match the level of facilities elsewhere in the world. We must.

"We want to give the British fans something of which to be proud, something the rest of the world will see as the equal of what they have in places like Turkey and Malaysia."

Gillett also denied that the announcement of the 10-year agreement at the start of race weekend at Silverstone was no more than a shock tactic to force the hand of the Northamptonshire track's owners, the British Racing Drivers' Club, who have long been locked in negotiations with Ecclestone over the future of the grand prix.

And despite having to pay a reported £300million to F1 over the course of the decade-long deal, he is adamant there is money to be made from the venture.

"It would be silly of me to say it is cheap to run a grand prix, but is it commercially viable? Yes," Gillett added.

"We have had long discussion with Bernie. We would not have gone in for this if we could not make money."

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